On September 26th, Typhoon Ondoy devastated Metro Manila. In the course of 12 hours, it dumped 16 inches of rain all over the Philippine capital.

Three days later, the death toll (now over 140) is steadily rising, as are the number of displaced people (about 400,000).

Whole houses are underwater, people are stranded on rooftops, and the Philippine government is ill-equipped to deal with the disaster.

Rescue operations are still going on, so if you want to help, Google has put together a comprehensive list of relief efforts here.

I don’t think a lot of people realize how terrible the situation is right now, so if you just forward the links and let people know that there is something you can do to help–donate to Red Cross, send relief goods, etc.–it would make a huge difference.

On the first CD, “Ashes Of Bridges”, Heise is one member of the trio The Hit & Mrs. On the other, he tries his hand at a solo offering under the name Jebediah Goodthrust. And, years ago, Nelson served as front man of the band Munkey Juice.

Confused? Good, because so am I.

Still, maybe we can thank Heise’s multiple personality disorder for the solid storytelling and interesting arrangements that come out in his music.

With each new project, Nelson appears to become more subtle, concentrating more on the role of singer/songwriter than that of your standard lead singer/guitarist.

“Ashes Of Bridges” is a more stripped-down punk version of the disc that came before it, 2007’s rock/alt-country full-length “Buried In The Backyard Of My Heart.” And “Jebediah Goodthrust” is even leaner in its tone, giving listeners what may be Heise’s most serious offering to date.

Of course, the whole idea of Jebediah Goodthrust came from a Halloween costume that Heise created of an Amish rock/porn star, so what the fuck do I know about how “serious” he is or isn’t trying to be?

Regardless, it’s been interesting to hear the evolution of his sound over the span of numerous projects. Just don’t be surprised when his next band turns out to be some alien hillbilly/titty-rock hybrid.

Click here to learn more about The Hit & Mrs., and here to learn more about Jebediah Goodthrust.

…is having a solo exhibition at the Hammond Harkins Galleries in Columbus, Ohio. Titled “Looking Up”, the exhibition features paintings of signage in and around Columbus.

Here are a few examples of her work:

The preview reception is this Friday, September 25th, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. So if you happen to find yourself in Columbus this Friday, be sure to head on over to Hammond Harkins and support the local arts.